Electronic cigarettes. What should you tell your patients

that heat a liquid into an aerosol for inhalation and simulate the behaviour of smoking. ECs are mainly used in Australia and overseas by tobacco smokers to help them quit or reduce smoking.1-3 Despite strict regulations in Australia, the use of ECs has grown dramatically over the past few years. Current EC use among smokers increased from 0.6% in 2010 to 6.6% in 2013.4 The latest National Drug Strategy Household Survey in 2013 found that one in seven smokers in Australia had used an EC in the previous 12 months, and 43% of these ECs contained nicotine.5 ECs are popular because, as well as delivering nicotine, they address the behavioural (handling), sensory (‘throat hit’, taste, inhaling and exhaling a visible ‘smoke’) and social components of the smoking ritual.6 Users rate ECs that contain nicotine as more satisfying than nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) and less harmful than smoking.2 In England, ECs are now used more than NRT by smokers attempting to quit.7 However, many unanswered questions remain, and views about ECs are polarised. Some believe that ECs have a huge potential to improve public health and save millions of lives.8 Others are concerned that they could renormalise smoking, deter quitting and act as a gateway to smoking for young people.9 They point to the increasing control of ECs by multinational tobacco companies. This article provides information for GPs who are faced with Electronic cigarettes What should you tell your patients?